Ronnie O'Sullivan has risked alienating himself from his UK fans after admitting he prefers playing abroad having thrashed John Higgins 4-0 in his opening Riyadh Season World Masters match.
O'Sullivan had to wait until late in the evening on Tuesday to play his first match in Saudi Arabia.
The inaugural event features some of the world's best players and includes a 'golden ball' that increases the maximum break to 167.
The first person to pot the extra ball will pocket a healthy £400,000 and O'Sullivan looked in with a good chance of making that happen at some point during his match against Higgins.
The Scottish snooker icon had missed out on a chance of the maximum the day prior after making a mistake with his cue ball placement having potted the final black.
Ronnie O'Sullivan prefers not playing in the UK
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He had looked in good form against Mark Williams in the previous round, but Higgins didn't get a look in against O'Sullivan.
The 'Rocket' ran away with it from the very first frame and had three century breaks in four frames.
Higgins ended up with just four points in the entire match and they came from a foul against O'Sullivan, who ended with an astonishing 489 points.
The seven-time world champion was typically nonchalant after the match, although he admitted it's the first time he's felt up to his usual high standards for a while.
"I felt quite comfortable over the shot - first time in a while," O'Sullivan said.
"I've been feeling okay last couple of weeks in practice so two years of absolute filth and just starting to feel alright again. It's been a long time."
The World Snooker Tour has introduced more and more international events over the years with the tournament in Riyadh the latest.
And O'Sullivan has explained why he would rather continue playing away from home as opposed to being in front of the UK crowd.
"I prefer it," he said.
John Higgins barely had an opportunity against Ronnie O'Sullivan
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"I don't drink, I don't go out partying so this is a great place for me.
"In the UK it's all pubs, drinking so it's not my cup of tea and coming to a place like this I feel like I can just chill out and have a nice time."
O'Sullivan also stated that he's not too bothered about being the first to pot the 'golden ball' and take home the huge cash prize that comes with it.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan is through to the semi-final
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"I don't actually play for the prize money," he added.
"I just play for the enjoyment and have a bit of fun.
"The prize money is a bit of a bonus."
